A Haunting on the Hill – Elizabeth Hand

A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand is described as “the first novel authorized to return to the world of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House” first published in 1959. Thanks to Wikipedia, it is evident that the stories share many details. Buy A Haunting on the Hill at Amazon

What more perfect a location to practice a play about witches than an uninhabited ancient Gothic mansion with a history of strange happenings?

That is Hill House. Left largely uninhabited for years, it is a spooky chance encounter rented out to a small cast of characters, each with their own sinister secrets.

Budding playwright Holly Sherwin has penned what she hopes to be a hit production inspired by The Witch of Edmonton, an ancient play that portrays the real-life tragedy of Elizabeth Sawyer who was accused of practicing witchcraft in the 1600s . Nisa Macari is the etherial and mesmorizing songstress who is also Holly’s girlfriend. Added to the mix is Stevie, Nisa’s New Agey occasional bedmate who is cast as the devil dog who claims Elizabeth’s soul, and Amanda, an aging actress who is trying to recapture her former glory.

The group begins with excitement and promise as Hill House becomes the perfect backdrop for their rehearsals, but it doesn’t take long before the cast mates experience spooky unexplained supernatural phenomenon. Nobody is safe. Despite repeated warnings and their own trepidations, they elect to stay

Hand is a descriptive writer who nicely illustrates scenes and emotions so that the reader can easily imagine and immerse themself in what is going on. She provides a sense of mystery and foreboding. Her characters are layered and authentic, with distinct strengths and failings.

However, there is a lot going on in this book: Real witches, a play about a witch based on a real person, mysterious noises, figures and animals, and the melting of reality all appear against a backdrop of the house’s history of disturbing and tragic events.

I have read supernatural fantasy that drags you in, sets your nervous system on high alert and sends a shiver down your spine. I wanted that to happen for A Haunting on the Hill, but unfortunately it did not.

Although spooky scary stuff happens to everyone, for me, the incidents seemed too frequent, disjointed and random, without a satisfying unifying connection, despite the ultimate revelation.

I became less and less of a believer, but I could see the book as a captivating movie, with lots of shocking special effects.

The real mystery of Hill House is who is causing the events to happen and why. Readers will be surprised to find out who, however not all questions have answers. (Maybe there’s a sequel in the works to do just that?)

I had high hopes, but unfortunately, A Haunting on the Hill ended up not being my cup of tea, although that I am sure that others with a penchant for the supernatural will find it entertaining.

It is noteworthy that besides other literary honours, Elizabeth Hand has won the Shirley Jackson award “for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic” three times.

I wonder if I would have had a different impression had I read Shirley Jackson’s book first.

A Haunting on the Hill
Elizabeth Hand
Mulholland Books 2023
336 pages

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